The invention is directed to a medical device implantable into the body of a living being, comprising means for stimulating a physical event of the living being with variable stimulation intensity and with automatic adjustment means for adapting the stimulation intensity to the physical activity of the living being that set the stimulation intensity with reference to a signal of a sensor means corresponding to the physical activity of the living being, whereby data corresponding to the chronological course of the signal of the sensor means can be telemetrically transmitted from the medical device to a separate data processing means. The term "stimulation intensity" is to be understood to include the duration, the frequency, the repetition rate, the amplitude, etc., with which the means for stimulation are activated, individually and/or in any combination as a measure for the stimulation intensity.
A heart pacemaker of this type is known, wherein the stimulation frequency with which the heart pacemaker stimulates the heart given the absence of natural heart beats is variable depending on the physical activity of the living being. A temperature sensor can be present as a sensor means, this sensor means acquiring the body temperature of the living being wearing the heart pacemaker as a measure for the existing physical activity of the living being.
Since adjustment means that undertake the automatic adaptation of the stimulation frequency to the physical activity of the living being are programmable, there is the possibility of taking the individual requirements of the living being into consideration on the basis of appropriate programming of the adjustment means. In the known heart pacemaker, this occurs in that the living being wearing the heart pacemaker is subjected to a defined physical stress. Data corresponding to the chronological curve of the body temperature thereby measured are telemetrically transmitted to a mini-computer which stores them. There is then the possibility of simulating the reaction of the adjustment means to the stored temperature profile corresponding to a defined physical stress, simulating this on the basis of the correspondingly programmed mini-computer. Various programmings of the adjustment means can thereby be simulated in order to be able to find a programming adapted to the individual requirements of the respective living being. When this has occurred, the data corresponding to the appropriate programming of the adjustment mean are telemetrically transmitted from the data processing means to the heart pacemaker.
It is considered disadvantageous in practice, however, that the living being must again be subjected to a physical stress every time when the programming of the adjustment means is to be checked or modified, the living being being subject to this physical stress in order to acquire the data required for the simulation of the function of the adjustment means. It is also considered disadvantageous that the living being must be in the immediate proximity of the mini-computer during the physical stress or must wear a reception means connected to the mini-computer via a cord, so that the freedom of mobility of the living being is restricted while the living being is being subjected to the physical stress.